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Picis Adds Broselow-Luten Color Coding Kids to Ibex PulseCheck; First and Only EDIS to Incorporate Well-Known Standard for Pediatric Safety

Posted on: Monday, 12 September 2005, 06:00 CDT

Picis, Inc. has signed an exclusive agreement to embed the Broselow-Luten color-coded pediatric system into the company's Ibex PulseCheck emergency department information system (EDIS) to standardize and simplify decisions around patient care in the ED. Famed pediatrician, James Broselow, M.D., will discuss how the Broselow-Luten system and Ibex PulseCheck work together to promote safety and continuity of care at two upcoming events: the Emergency Nurse Association Scientific Assembly in Nashville September 15-17 (Picis booth # 448) and at the American College of Emergency Physician Scientific Assembly in Washington, DC Sept 26-29 (Picis booth # 801).

Broselow has created several tools designed to simplify pediatric emergency care based upon uncertainty he's seen with caregivers treating kids in the ED. Emergency care of pediatric patients is complicated because the proper medication dosage and equipment size vary based upon a patient's weight, and dosages are so small in children, making a seemingly slight error catastrophic. "When a patient was a critically ill or injured child, what can only be described as chaos, terror and lack of confidence by emergency care providers was evident in the ED," says Broselow. "I knew there had to be a better way to care for children in an emergency situation that would provide consistency and standardization."

Broselow, an emergency physician in Hickory, North Carolina, first created the Broselow Tape in 1988. This widely accepted tool, which assigns a color based upon the length measurement taken from the child, is used in nearly every adult and pediatric emergency department across the country. Shortly thereafter, he took pediatric color-coding to the next level with the Broselow-Hinkle Organizer, a color-coded crash cart with drawers for each color of the Broselow Tape.

"Picis has incorporated the Broselow-Luten Color Coding Kids option in the latest release of Ibex PulseCheck," says Kristen Lalowski, R.N., ED product manager, Picis. The software provides a visual indicator of where a child fits on the Broselow color continuum to promote better communication and decision making among clinicians concerning the special needs of the pediatric patient. "As the only EDIS to incorporate the Broselow-Luten system, Ibex PulseCheck eliminates guesswork with equipment, medications and treatments, improves communication among clinicians, promotes consistent documentation and treatment between care areas, and permits clinicians to make critical decisions with the support of the Broselow-Luten system."

The Broselow-Luten Color Coding Kids system associates the weight of the pediatric patient to a color. Once the color is assigned, the system has clinical references for dosages and concentrations of the most commonly ordered and prescribed medications, fluids, and equipment throughout the hospital, including the emergency department. The colors used in this system also correspond to the Broselow Tape and the Broselow-Hinkle Organizer and are meant to help clinicians with critical medications and equipment when time is vital.

About Ibex PulseCheck

Picis provides Ibex PulseCheck, a complete emergency department information system, which includes a patient tracking system from triage to disposition, with easy-to-complete integration with other hospital information systems; Ibex PulseCheck's nursing and physician documentation modules provide an electronic medical record with instant access to charts. Ibex PulseCheck users have documented millions of dollars of additional charges captured with Ibex PulseCheck's charge management features, as well as reduced average patient wait time and length of stay. The risk management module provides real-time risk management prompting and supports physicians and nurses throughout the documentation process.

About Picis

Picis delivers proven best-in-cluster solutions for high-acuity care areas -- the emergency department, the operating room and the intensive care unit. In July 2004, Picis merged with Ibex, the leading provider of emergency department systems. Picis' systems are installed in more than 900 medical centers and IDNs worldwide, automating more surgical procedures, emergency visits and intensive care stays than any other system in the world. Clients include HCA; Health Management Associates, Inc.; the Mayo Clinic; MedStar Health; the Methodist Hospital in Houston; Mt. Sinai Medical Center; the National Health Service of the United Kingdom; NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System; Rush University Medical Center; Stanford University Medical Center; Sutter Health; and the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. In 2005, Picis was named one of the top 100 healthcare IT companies, by revenue, in the Healthcare Informatics report. Headquartered in Wakefield, Massachusetts, Picis maintains partnerships with IDX Systems Corporation (NASDAQ: IDXC) and Lawson Software (NASDAQ: LWSN). More information is available at www.picis.com.

Source: Business Wire

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